The present invention is particularly suited for locking a hood of a vehicle to prevent an unauthorized person from gaining entry to the engine compartment. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention could also be used to secure the trunk or hatchback of a vehicle. It could also be used to lock chests, cabinets, and many other types of compartments. For convenience herein, however, the invention will be described with reference to locking the hood of a vehicle.
A major concern of automobile owners is that their cars will be broken into and stolen or stripped of valuable components such as stereo systems or batteries. This concern has helped create an industry devoted to the manufacture of various kinds of anti-theft devices. These devices include car alarms, steering wheel locks, and devices designed to temporarily disable ignition systems and other vital components of a vehicle. None of these devices is perfect, however, and car theft, as well as the theft of accessories from cars, remains a concern in this country and others.
Devices such as car alarms are designed to frighten away thieves who have begun to tamper with a vehicle. Any disturbance to the vehicle results in piercing sirens, horns, and sometimes flashing lights. However, as car alarms have proliferated, so has the unintended activation thereof. False alarms are so common in some areas, especially in cities, that these alarms are often ignored. Thieves may be emboldened by the knowledge that few people are likely to rush to investigate a blaring car alarm, and may be able to remove items from the vehicle even if unable to drive it away with the alarm sounding.
Furthermore, a thief may not discover a car alarm until after he has smashed a window or discover an ignition-locking device until after he has stripped the steering column. Clearly, even an attempted theft can cause a great deal of costly damage.
Highly visible anti-theft devices, such as steering wheel locks, not only help to prevent car thefts, but also deter attempts to steal a vehicle. Thieves seeing a vehicle equipped with an obvious anti-theft device are likely to search for an easier target. Visible anti-theft devices thus are useful in preventing the damage associated with attempted vehicular theft.
Steering wheel locks, however, do nothing to prevent the theft of items within a vehicle or to prevent a thief from prying open a hood, trunk or hatchback to steal the battery, engine parts, spare tire or other objects therein. Nor do they prevent a person who has gained entry to a vehicle from opening the hood and tampering with the engine or stealing the battery. Additionally, even car alarms may be disabled if a thief opens the hood and cuts off the power supply to the alarm. A thief who can open a car hood can thus steal the battery, tamper with the engine, or disable an alarm system and steal the vehicle.